Side Effects
by Lil Leif
Summary: Ever since I first met him he's affected me. I should have known that nothing good could come of it.
1. Chapter 1

The first time I met Itachi Uchiha, I was seven. My mother wanted me to drop off a basket of goodies at Mikoto Uchiha's house since she and Mikoto were in the same cooking group. The basket was heavy and I had stopped to rest at the entrance to the Uchiha district.

As I was about to get on my way again a tall, dark-haired figure was coming my way. Since I didn't really know where I was going I decided to ask for some help.

As the figure approached, my little heart sped up when I saw how handsome he was. He had long black hair. His skin was only a little darker than mine and his eyes were really black. He noticed me looking up at him and asked "Are you lost, little one?"

I blushed and looked down at the basket sitting in front of me. "I was hoping you could help me find Mikoto Uchiha's house."

"Of course. Would you like some help with your basket?" he asked, noticing I was struggling to pick it up.

"Yes, please." I said politely. He was so cute. I had to suppress the urge to squeal like the fan girl I was becoming.

He leaned down and picked up the basket and I caught a whiff of the nicest scent I had ever smelled in my short seven years of life. He smelled like soap and leather and the solution used to polish the kunai. It reminded me of the way Daddy smelled except there was something different about this man's smell.

"Come along, little one." His voice broke me out of my thoughts.

I followed along behind him like a little puppy. He slowed a little so I could keep up and I was grateful. He was a lot taller than I was.

"So what business do you have with Mikoto Uchiha?" he asked me.

"My mom wanted me to bring her some baked goods to try." I explained.

"Ah, what kind of baked goods?" he inquired.

I looked up at him suspiciously. "You're not going to steal them are you? My mom wouldn't be very happy with me."

He chuckled. "I promise I won't steal any. I'm just curious."

"Desserts. Can I tell you a secret?" I whispered up to him.

He looked down and our eyes met. "Sure."

"You can't tell anyone, ok?" I said.

"I promise I won't tell anyone." He reassured me.

"I helped my mommy bake some of the desserts. She's not very good at baking. I'm better than she is." I covered my mouth a giggled. "Sh, it's a secret. Don't tell anyone."

"Ok." He smiled at me. "I bet you're a really good chef." He said.

"I am." I replied.

"Here we are, little one." He said as we stopped in front of the biggest house in the district.

I felt my eyes grow wide as I looked up at the huge house. "Wooow. It's so big!" I exclaimed. There were large steps leading to the front door and flowers were arranged artfully next to the steps.

We walked up the steps and I waited for the man to knock but he opened the door instead. "Coming?" he asked me.

"Aren't you going to knock? It's only polite." I said, flabbergasted that he was being so rude. He hadn't even been invited in!

"Mikoto won't mind, I'm sure. Come on, little one." He said holding the door open for me.

Hesitantly, I stepped inside. On the inside it was even more impressive. Thick carpet cushioned our footfalls so they were nearly noiseless.

We heard clattering noises and Itachi led me towards them. We emerged into a kitchen, where a tall woman with long black hair was washing dishes. She turned around and smiled. "Hello, Itachi. Welcome home. Oh and who is this?" she said, noticing me beside "Itachi." I was a little angry that he didn't tell me he was related to Mikoto and I vowed to talk to him about it later.

"I picked up this little one outside the district." He replied and nudged me forward.

"My mother, Keiko Haruno, sent me, Mrs. Uchiha." I said giving a slight bow.

"Ah, so you must be Sakura! You are even cuter than I imagined. Your mother is always talking about you and now I see why. Such pretty hair…" she said, almost squealing.

My cheeks felt hot all of a sudden. "Thank you."

"I always wanted a little girl. Instead I got two boys who are too much like their father." Mrs. Uchiha went on. "Itachi, there, barely lets me hug him."

I glanced over my shoulder at Itachi who said "Come now, mother. I let you do it on special occasions, like Christmas."

I giggled and Mrs. Uchiha sighed. "Boys. They're no fun. So what did your mother make me?" she asked.

I took the basket from Itachi and brought it over to Mrs. Uchiha. "Wow, you're so strong!" she said as she took it from me and realized how heavy it was.

I smiled up at her. "I want to be a big strong ninja like my mom and dad!" I said.

"You're so strong already!" she exclaimed. "Now, let's see what's in here."

She took the blanket off the top of the basket and set it aside. Then she started taking out all the desserts.

"Peach cobbler, brownies, oatmeal raisin cookies, cake, and _chocolate chip cookies_! My favorite!" she said.

"I actually made the chocolate chip cookies." I said shyly. "I hope you like them."

She popped open the box they were in and took out three. "Well why don't we try them right now?" She asked, handing one to her son and the other to me.

We all bit into them at the same time. "Mmmm. WOW! Sakura, these are really good! They're better than mine!" Mrs. Uchiha said. "What do you think, Itachi?"

I looked at him and held my breath as he chewed thoughtfully. "You're right, Mom. These are better than yours. Good job, Sakura."

I smiled and blushed under his praise.

" . Very funny, Itachi." Mrs. Uchiha said and stuck her tongue out at her son. I giggled.

"Sakura, some day you and your mother are going to have to come over and cook with me." Mrs. Uchiha offered.

"That would be fun!" I said.

"Ok, I'll talk to your mother about it." She said and smiled at me. "Before you go… would you mind if I braided your hair for you?"

"Mom, you're going to scare her off." Itachi complained.

"Well you won't let me braid your hair, now will you?" Mrs. Uchiha retorted.

"…"

"Hmph, that's what I thought. But Sakura, your hair is so long and pretty I want to play with it for a few minutes. Please?" she asked me.

"Ok, Mrs. Uchiha. I don't mind." I told her.

"Come with me then." She said. She took my hand and led me down the hallway and into a living room. Itachi followed us.

"Ok, dear, you sit in front of the couch while I braid your hair." She said. I did as I was told. She ran her hands through my hair a few times and I could feel my eyes glazing over already at how good it felt.

She started braiding it and I felt into a sort of stupor. I was disappointed when she was done because it had felt so nice.

Mrs. Uchiha helped me stand up and looked at me critically. "You look absolutely amazing. Maybe I'll have to steal you from your mom one of these days."

I laughed, but could also feel the embarrassment tingeing my cheeks red. I wondered how Itachi felt about the way I looked.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh, goodness! Look at the time! I had better start making dinner. Itachi, will you please take Sakura home?" she asked him.

"Ok." He said. "Come on, little one."

He led me out of the mansion and we started walking through the Uchiha district.

I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to be mad at him. "You tricked me!" I said angrily and crossed my arms over my chest.

"How so?" he asked, confused.

"You didn't tell me you were Mrs. Uchiha's son!" I replied.

"You never asked." He replied.

I opened my mouth to reply but couldn't think of anything to say, so I just remained quiet. He _was _right.

After a few minutes he sighed. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I didn't know it would upset you." He apologized. "Do you forgive me?" he asked.

I glanced over at him. He was looking at me with these big black puppy dog eyes. There was no way I could say no.

"Ok… but just this once!" I said.

"Alright!" He said grabbing me up and throwing me into the air. I laughed and giggled until my belly hurt.

We were halfway home when there was a cry of "Brother!" and suddenly a dark flash knocked me down and ran at Itachi.

I fell to my hands and knees. I looked up and saw a boy about the same age as me who looked remarkably like Itachi hugging my escort tightly. I gingerly stood up and inspected myself. I could feel my hands and knees start to sting and my eyes welled with tears.

I sniffled and Itachi kneeled down beside me.

"Hey, Sakura, are you ok?" he asked me.

I turned my face away so he couldn't see my tears. I was ashamed of my weakness.

I felt something warm dripping down my leg and I looked down to see blood from my scraped knee soak into my sock.

Horror encased me and I froze. My chest started heaving quickly but for some reason I couldn't seem to catch my breath.

I looked at Itachi and I felt the tears fall down my cheeks. "Am I going to die?" I asked him.

"No, it's ok, Sakura. They're just a few scrapes. You'll be fine." He reassured me. Then all of a sudden he picked me up and brought me over to a nearby bench. The little boy who had knocked me down followed Itachi with wide frightened eyes.

"I-Itachi… is she ok?" he asked.

"She'll be fine, Sasuke. Just watch where you're going next time, ok?" he replied.

Sasuke sat next to me on the bench and took my hand. "Does it hurt?" he asked with big eyes the same color as his brother's.

I wiped away the tears on my face with my free hand. "A little."

Itachi, meanwhile, was inspecting my knees. Suddenly, his hands glowed green and I felt a cooling sensation on my knees. Amazingly, the skin started to heal right before our eyes. There wasn't even a scar left.

"Wow." Sasuke and I breathed.

Itachi healed my other knee and then both my hands.

"All better?" he asked, smiling at me.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, thanks, Itachi!"

"You're so cool, Big Brother! I want to be just like you when I grow up!" Sasuke declared.

Itachi chuckled and ruffled Sasuke's hair.

"Ready to go home, Sakura?" he asked me.

"Yeah! Let's go!" I said.

Sasuke and I chattered about nothing and everything as we walked. Itachi occasionally commented on something but he mostly just watched us.

When we finally reached my house, I ran up to my porch. "Thanks for walking me home!" I called out. "Bye, Sasuke! Bye, Itachi!"

"Bye!" they called in unison.

I watched as Itachi lifted Sasuke up to give him a piggy back ride. I waited until their figures turned the corner and I could no longer see them before I went inside.

My head was filled with images of dark eyes and black hair. Though whose they were – Itachi's or Sasuke's – I wouldn't have been able to tell you.

I was irrevocably in love with both of them.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time I saw Itachi Uchiha I was 12 and I was in the local bakery buying a loaf of bread. I just so happened to glance out the window and saw him walk by.

The sunlight hit his hair and made it look almost blue. He seemed to be haloed in light. Then he moved past the window and I could no longer see him. I wanted to run out and talk to him but I was occupied with the baker and by the time I left he was already long gone.

I thought about lost chances then and how one lost chance could've changed my entire day completely. How one chance meeting could change the course of my life forever.

The next time was not too long after that, maybe a month or two. Sasuke, Naruto and I had already been assigned to Team 7 and we were about to go on our first mission outside the village. We were waiting for Kakashi when an Anbu squad landed nearby to talk to the gate guards. They had their masks turned to the side. I quickly identified Itachi as one of the Anbu.

The way the uniform hugged his lean body made my mouth go dry and my heart suddenly filled with longing. I quickly looked away before anyone caught me gawking at Itachi's beautiful figure.

I busied myself with digging a hole in the dirt.

"I wish Kakashi-sensei would get here soon! I'm tired of waiting!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Shut it, you idiot." Sasuke snapped. He was tired of waiting too.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. Boys could be so troublesome. I bet Itachi wasn't as troublesome during a mission.

"Sakura go find Kakashi." Sasuke ordered me.

I glared at him. "Why don't you go?" I asked.

Sasuke sighed. "Because I don't know where he lives." He ground out.

I rolled my eyes. "And you think I do?" I asked him.

It was starting to look like we were about to get in a fight and I was completely ready. At least it would give me something to do besides dig a hole in the dirt.

"What's going on here?" a smooth voice said.

Sasuke scowled at the intrusion. I was completely elated and I grinned at Itachi.

"We're waiting on Kakashi-sensei. Is he always like this?" I asked.

Itachi nodded. "Unfortunately."

"Is this your guys' first mission out of the village?" he asked.

"Yeah and it's going to be successful! Believe it!" Naruto said giving Itachi a thumbs-up.

"That's good to hear. I remember my first mission out of the village. We had to investigate an old abandoned church. It had been rumored to be haunted by a vengeful ghost bent on destroying a nearby village." Itachi reminisced.

"What happened?" Naruto asked with wide eyes.

"It turned out to be a guy who was upset that he didn't get elected as mayor of the town." Itachi said nonchalantly.

"Well that's a little anticlimactic." I said, disappointed.

Itachi nodded. "I was a little disappointed but what can you do?"  
I shrugged. "Hope for a better mission next time?" I suggested.

Itachi smiled just a little. He looked like he hadn't smiled in a long time and he was unused to the way the muscles moved. I wondered what had made him not smile in so long.

Another Anbu walked over and said "Itachi we have to leave now. We need to go report the mission."

Itachi nodded and then turned back to us. "It was nice talking to you guys. Good luck with your mission." Then he turned and left with the rest of his team.

"Wow, Sasuke. Your brother is so cool." Naruto said.

"Hn," was Sasuke's only reply.

I didn't say anything but I secretly agreed with Naruto. I could only dream of becoming as good of a ninja as Itachi. I could never compare to his greatness in all the things he did.

"Mikoto, you know you shouldn't eat the raw dough." I admonished gently.

"It's so good though! Sakura, try some! You're making me feel fat." Mikoto said, and pouted. I could feel my resolve waver the longer I looked at her. She had definitely perfected the puppy dog eyes look and I could hardly take the cuteness.

We were in the Uchiha mansion and Mikoto had invited me over for a little cooking date. We had them every so often. Every time I went, I hoped to see a glimpse of Itachi but since he had joined Anbu he was always away on missions.

"You could get sick." I protested weakly.

"Could. _Could._ COULD! Come on, Sakura. Live a little. What is it you kids say these days… YOLO?" Mikoto said

I laughed out loud that she actually knew that acronym. "Ok, ok. But only because you said YOLO." I said and swiped some dough up with my finger and then popped it in my mouth.

"Mmm." I said and closed my eyes. It did taste really good.

The front door suddenly banged open and then closed and then a loud thump could be heard as something heavy fell.

"Hello?" Mikoto called out.

There was no answer.

Mikoto made to go see what it was but I stopped her and went instead. I cautiously edged into the front hallway. There, lying on the floor was Itachi. Blood was slowly forming a puddle under him. I gasped and rushed to his side.

"Itachi, Itachi. Can you hear me?" I asked, trying to get a response.

He groaned and his eyes fluttered open. "S-Sakura?" he asked once he was able to focus on my face.

"Yeah, it's me Itachi. Keep talking to me while I heal you. I need you to stay awake." I said urgently.

I sent healing chakra to my hands and surveyed the damage. He had a rather large stab wound on his back. It looked like he had tried to heal it closed but it had torn open again.

"This is ironic." He said with a slight chuckle.

"How so?" I asked just to keep the conversation going.

Itachi's eyes were focused on something over my shoulder. He looked completely out of it.

"I remember having to heal your knees and hands when my foolish brother knocked you down. You were so tiny back then. What happened to my little Sakura?" he asked.

I concentrated on stopping the internal bleeding first. That seemed like the most important thing. I could hear Mikoto talking in the kitchen and I hoped she was calling for help.

"Now you're all grown up. The last time I saw you was… five years ago? You're almost a jonin now aren't you? Anbu has stolen so much of my time." He sighed; his voice was becoming almost too faint to hear.

"Itachi." I said loudly. "Come on, Itachi. Stay with me. Keep talking. You need to stay awake." I cursed. He'd lost too much blood.

"Hm, ok, Sakura. For you, I will." He replied.

"Thanks, Itachi." I finished closing up the wound and started working on regenerating red blood cells.

"You're so beautiful now, Sakura. At least if I die I'll have your lovely face to guide me to the afterlife." He sighed.

Despite myself, I giggled. "You're not going to die, Itachi. Stop being dramatic."

Itachi heaved a sigh. "Did you just save my life?" he asked.

"I believe I just did." I replied, grinning at him.

"I guess I'm in your debt now. I'm sure you'll call in some awful favor just to torture me." He said as I did one last once-over on his injuries.

"Hm, probably." I said. I sat back on my heels and looked at his face.

"Just let me know whenever and I'm yours to command." He said with a small smile.

"Sounds like I could have fun with this." I said deviously.

"We could… have fun together." He said, and then he _winked_ at me. I felt my heart try to pound its way out of my chest and my cheeks heat up to about a billion degrees.

"There's that cute blush I've been looking for." He said, his smile becoming more of a smirk.

I was about to reply when the front door burst open and Itachi's team came in.

"Itachi!" His cousin, Shisui, said seeing him lying on the floor.

Itachi winced at the racket. "I'm ok, really. Sakura saved my life." I felt my blush renew as everyone's eyes fell on me.

"It was nothing really." I said trying to wave it off.

"Sakura! How can I ever thank you? You saved my baby boy!" Mikoto suddenly appeared and swept me into a hug. I patted her back awkwardly. "It's not a big deal. It's my job."

"We were so lucky to have you here." She sounded on the verge of tears. Mikoto could be a tad dramatic sometimes. Mom said it came with the territory when dealing with the Uchiha family.

"It's ok, Mikoto. I'd do anything for your family. I'm practically family anyway." I laughed a little.

She finally pulled away. "You're right, darling." She said, wiping her eyes.

I looked down to see Itachi still on the floor and offered him my hand. He accepted it and I hoisted him up.

"If you have any soreness or pain come find me and I'll fix it, ok?" I asked, looking into his eyes.

"I think I'll be ok." He assured me with a smile.

"If you say so." I replied skeptically.

"Thank you, Sakura. Truly. If you hadn't been here, I could've died. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask." He said looking deeply into my eyes. I had to concentrate on not getting lost in their beautiful black depths. His eyes were completely mesmerizing. I wondered what it would be like to look into his Sharingan like this.

I nodded. Even though I never planned on calling in the favor but it was still nice to know he offered.

I glanced at the time on the wall. "Crap. I have to go meet up with Sasuke and Naruto. Thanks for inviting me over, Mikoto. I'll see you guys around sometime." I quickly grabbed my stuff out of the kitchen and then ran out the front door to meet up with my team mates.

ITACHI

I watched her go. The girl who had just saved my life. I had had no idea she'd gotten so good at medical ninjustu. Or that she had gotten so beautiful. I remembered her as the twelve year old girl listening raptly to whatever I had been talking about at the time.

"Do you think she knows how you feel about her?" Shisui asked after a moment.

"She has no idea." Mikoto said, confidently.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, looking at them all.

Shisui rolled his eyes. "You're head over heels, man. Don't even try to deny it. We saw what was going on when we walked in."

"She saved my life. I was showing gratitude." I replied.

"You were flirting." Shisui said.

"…" It was completely ridiculous that they thought I liked Sakura. I'd known her since she was seven. It would be completely inappropriate if I tried to court her.

"Everyone else can see it but you. Just wait, Uchiha. You'll see it someday. You've completely fallen for that girl." Shisui said with a certainty that almost made me doubt myself.


	3. Chapter 3

**To those of you who are wondering Sakura is 19 and Itachi is 23. **

There was something sexy about how graceful Sakura was when she fought. I remembered one particular fight, after the smoke and dust cleared and she was standing there with the heart of the man she had just killed clenched in her small hand.

Or when she would punch the ground in front of the enemy and completely annihilate all of them.

When she was blood splattered was when she was at her most beautiful. There was something barbaric and wild about the look that drew me to her like a moth to flame.

I don't exactly remember when I started seeing her in this different light. A few months after she made jonin she also made Anbu. Since my team was the top team she was assigned to us as top medic. We also had an opening because our fourth member Ai had started a family and he couldn't do such dangerous missions anymore. Sakura rounded us out, along with my cousin, Shisui, and Genma Shirinui. I was the captain of our little unit.

Currently, we were returning after hunting down a band of rogue ninjas causing problems in northern Fire country.

We had camped near a cool pond. Even though it was a mission we let ourselves relax a little as we were only about a day away from Konoha and we could handle anyone that might've come along.

Late that night, Genma had the genius idea to go skinny dipping. Shisui immediately agreed. Sakura was also up for it. She was always up for a good time and usually she and Genma were doing something stupid. Plus we'd been traveling all day and it was mid summer.

"Fine." I finally agreed.

"Let me get in first and then you guys can join me." Sakura said. We'd all seen each other in various stages of undress but Sakura still tried to keep her modesty as best as she could.

"I could help you undress." Genma said flirtatiously.

"In your dreams." She said good naturedly.

"Let's make my dreams a reality." He replied.

Sakura laughed out loud. "Come on, Genma. You're slipping." She shook her head and walked off in the direction of the pond.

We waited a few minutes and then heard a familiar bird call. We used it on missions to signal the others to move out.

We went to the lake and started stripping. There was only a sliver of a moon in the sky so it was almost pitch black near the lake.

"If any of you try to cop a feel, I'll castrate you." Sakura warned from somewhere in the middle of the lake. From experience, we knew she had the ability to do so.

We waded into the pond and carefully swam near Sakura. None of us wanted to risk accidentally touching her.

Of course, it was something I fantasized about constantly, but I never acted on it. She was in love with my brother as they were constantly with each other and every time I happened to look at them together she was always touching him in some small way. I wasn't going to ruin something like that for my brother. I wasn't that selfish.

Sometimes it was really hard to resist though. The way her clothes would cling to her body whenever we got caught in the rain was something that managed to make me hard every time.

We swam around for a little while, just talking about trivial things and then Sakura claimed she was tired and ordered us to turn around so she could leave. We did as she asked and I made sure no one peeked.

She made the bird call and I decided to get out too. "I'm going to go to bed too. I'll see you guys in the morning. Don't stay up too late." I ordered.

"Yeah, yeah." Genma said lazily, floating on his back.

I waded out of the pond and grabbed my clothes pulling them on as I made my way back to the camp. Sakura was already in the tent when I arrived and I quickly joined her.

"Are you still awake?" I asked her.

"Yes." She mumbled. She sounded half asleep.

"Just curious." I said, and started to get into my own bedroll. Ours were beside each other's as Sakura didn't trust the other two not to make a move on her while she was asleep.

"Itachi…" she said tiredly. I froze in my bedroll.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" she asked me quietly.

I paused for a second. How should I answer this? Should I just say yes and leave it at that or should I say I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen?

"… I think you're beautiful." I said quietly.

It was silent for a moment and then there was a quiet "Good night, Itachi."

"Good night, Sakura." Her breaths evened off quickly as she fell asleep.

I was falling completely, irrevocably, head over heels in love with my team mate. I didn't want it to stop.

We'd just reached the gates to Konoha after a hard day of running and even though she didn't show it I could tell Sakura was a little fatigued.

"Why don't you guys head home and I'll give the report to the Hokage." I said to them.

Genma and Shisui whooped and ran off before I could change my mind but Sakura continued walking with me towards the Hokage tower.

"I have to ask Lady Tsunade about a jutsu I saw while we were on our mission." She explained when I gave her a questioning look.

We could see the Hokage tower at the end of the street when an enthusiastic voice called out "Sakura! Sakura! You're home!" and then the girl in question was promptly tackled by a blur of orange.

"Naruto… can't… breathe." Sakura gasped out.

"Sorry, Sakura. It's just been forever since I saw you last." Naruto said helping her up of the ground.

"We saw each other last week." Sakura dead-panned.

"I know but a lot can happen in a week." Naruto argued.

Sakura gave a long suffering sigh and was about to say something when my little brother appeared. "Sakura, Mother has requested that you come over tonight for dinner." He said.

"Oh! Great! I'll be there." She said excitedly. Her love for my mother was obvious in her eyes as she agreed.

"We're going out to party later so be prepared!" Naruto informed.

Sakura groaned. "I just got home from a mission, guys. I don't know if I'm up to that."

"When was the last time you let go, Sakura? Come on. Just for tonight. You've been so busy with Anbu that you've barely had time for the rest of us." Naruto complained.

Sakura slid me a look that begged for me to save her. I minutely shook my head. She had been spending too much time working.

Sakura pouted in defeat and I had to quickly gain control over my suddenly raging hormones. "Fine. I'll go… but only if Itachi comes too." She sent me a look full of sadism. Sometimes the thought of therapy for her lingered in my head.

"Great! It's settled then! See you later!" Naruto exclaimed and dragged Sasuke away before I had the chance to voice my protest.

I shot Sakura a withering look and she giggled in response. "Come on, Itachi. Don't be angry. You need a night off as bad as I do. Plus maybe you'll be able to find a girl who strikes your fancy at the bar." She winked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Right." I replied.

"Are you an amoeba? Are you asexual?" She asked.

"No. I am human and I am as much of a man as any other guy out there." I replied. This wasn't the first time someone had asked me a question similar to that.

"I have never seen you take a girl home. Are you a virgin? Oh my god you are, aren't you?!" Sakura said in a horrified tone.

I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks and quickly calmed myself. I decided to play with her a little. I quickly pulled her into an empty alley way and pushed her up against a wall so she could feel every inch of my body against her own.

"Are you a virgin, Sa-ku-ra?" I whispered in her ear.

I could feel her shudder and her voice sounded breathy when she replied. "O-Of course not! Who do you think I am?"

I smirked at the effect I was having on her. It seemed I had the same effect on her as she did on me.

"Do I _look _like a virgin, Sakura?" I asked.

"Um… N-no?" she said.

"Good answer. Now as your captain, I am ordering you to get some rest. I'll see you tonight." I said and then I teleported out of the alley and into the Hokage's office. Through the open window you could hear a faint scream of "ITACHI! WHEN I FIND YOU I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

I smirked and Lady Tsunade just sighed. "I don't want to know."

That stupid, stupid Uchiha. I was going to show him, which was why, an hour and a half before I was supposed to go over to the Uchiha's house, I called up Ino.

"I knew this day would come." Ino said after she had hugged me hello.

"Oh? And what day would that be?" I asked her.

"The day you would ask for my help getting ready for a date!" Ino squealed.

What? No! I just wanted to get back at Itachi. "No, no, no, Ino. You've got it all wrong. This isn't a date." I said.

Ino just put her hand on her hip. "Mmhm, keep talking, girl. While you're at it why don't you get in the shower? You have fifteen minutes so hurry it up."

By the time I was supposed to leave I looked like a completely different person. I was wearing tight black jeans and a lacey black camisole. Ino had let me borrow a pair of dainty black flats.

Then she had rimmed my eyes in charcoal eyeliner and coated my eyelashes with black mascara. She straightened my hair so that it fell down my back in a pink curtain.

"Perfect. He'll never know what hit him." Ino said approvingly.

"Are you sure it's not too much?" I asked her nervously tucking my hair behind my ear.

"It's fine. You look beautiful, Sakura." She said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Now go get 'em, tiger!" she said and pulled me out the door with her.

We split up, she to her apartment and I to the Uchiha's. The whole way there, I focused on calming my breathing and mentally preparing myself for tonight.

Soon, I found myself in front of the Uchiha mansion. This was it. I took another deep breath to calm my nerves and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, Itachi answered the door.

"Sakura?" he asked me, like he couldn't believe it was me.

"The one and only." I said, smiling.

"You look very nice." He said and stepped back, holding the door open wider for me to step through.

I gave him an once-over. "You don't look so bad yourself." I replied.

This was a gross understatement. He looked absolutely stunning. He was wearing a black v-neck shirt that perfectly showcased his lean physique. He was wearing dark jeans that looked absolutely breath taking on him.

I laughed when I realized we were matching.

"We're matching." I said. He looked down at himself and then at me again and chuckled a little as well.

"That we are." He replied.

I stepped inside and we walked to the kitchen. When we reached it, it suddenly became strangely quiet.

Genma broke the silence and said eloquently "Damn, Sakura. Who knew you had tits?"

I was getting ready to go over there and pummel him when Mikoto, Naruto and Sasuke all beat me to it. Mikoto had an arm slung around his neck with a knife just barely touching his jugular. Sasuke had his Sharingan activated and was giving Genma a death glare and Naruto had a kunai at Genma's crotch.

"You were saying?" I asked with a smirk.

Genma gulped and I watched as a droplet of sweat slipped down the side of his face. "Uh, what I meant to say is that you, uh, look absolutely gorgeous."

"Much better." Mikoto said, pulling away and patting him on the head.

Naruto sat back down in his chair and Sasuke relaxed a little.

"Truly, darling, you look absolutely stunning." Mikoto said, smiling at me.

"Thanks, Mikoto! As always you are beauty personified." I said, teasing her a little.

Mikoto flipped her hair over her shoulder and replied "Well of course, darling. Someone has to do it."

We laughed and I offered to help her with dinner. "I'm already done. You go ahead and sit down and the boys will serve you." She replied.

I did as she asked and chose a seat at the large table. Shisui sat beside me and leaned in and said quietly "My foolish cousins can't take their eyes off you."

I blushed and giggled. There was no way he could be telling the truth.

"You don't believe me, but look up in five seconds at Itachi." Shisui whispered.

I did as he asked. Lo and behold Itachi's eyes were resting on me. There was something about the way he was looking at me that was doing something to me. His eyes made me feel hot and short of breath. I felt myself flush and broke our gaze.

Naruto brought me my plate. It was piled high with chicken and beef teriyaki. There were some assorted vegetables and a little bowl filled with strawberries and raspberries was provided.

I waited until everyone was ready to begin before I started myself. Surprisingly, I found Itachi sitting across from me. Smirking to myself I decided to play a game. I slipped off my right shoe and slid my foot along the floor until I reached Itachi's legs. I slid my foot up into his jeans a little.

He looked up at me from under his eyelashes and I smirked at him. I slid my foot out of his pant leg and trailed it slowly up his leg until it was sitting in his lap. My breath caught in my throat when he trailed a finger over the top of it.

This time he was the one smirking.

Naruto was babbling about something that happened on his last mission so no one was paying attention to Itachi and me.

Throughout the course of dinner, Itachi and I teased each other. By dessert, I was ready to jump across the table and jump his bones.

Soon, we left Mikoto's house and were on our way to a new club that had recently opened.

We waited in line for a few minutes and soon we entered the club. The music was loud and I could feel the base inside my chest. We skirted around the edges of the dance floor and went to an upper level that had tables and booths. We commandeered a large booth in the corner and made it our base.

A waiter came over and asked us our drink orders. We all decided to start with a round of beer.

"Itachi, are you actually going to drink your beer?" I yelled teasingly into his ear over the music.

He considered the question for a moment and said "It'll probably be the only beer of the night. I hate drunk me."

I laughed out loud at the thought of a drunken Itachi. I couldn't imagine it. Maybe Shisui could tell me about it later.

The waiter came back with the beer. Itachi and I drank more carefully than the others. I hated hangovers.

A few minutes later, Shisui asked me to dance. I accepted and we went down to the dance floor. Shisui was a good dancer even when he was tipsy.

We danced for at least five songs before we stopped. "I'm starting to get sober." Shisui complained. So we went back up to where our booth was and found Itachi by himself.

"Where did everyone else go?" I asked.

"Off with girls." He replied. I nodded and wiped the sweat off my face. It was pretty stuffy on the dance floor.

I looked around and noticed Shisui was gone. Good man.

I looked up at Itachi and found him already looking at me. His black eyes were smoldering down at me and I felt my body get hot all over.

"Want to dance?" I asked him with a wink. He watched me as I got out of the booth. I grabbed his hand and pulled him after me.

I'd never even seen Itachi dance before and I was eager to see if he was as good at it as he was at everything else.

We reached the dance floor and wove our way through it until we were in the middle. I put my back to him and he put his hands on my hips. We started moving together and I was amazed at how well we worked with each other. It seemed like a second after I had changed the rhythm of my hips he would be in sync with me.

He was a phenomenal dancer.

As the night wore on, I could feel myself succumbing more and more to lust. The longer we danced the less it seemed like dancing and more like something that you would find in the bed room. It was a total turn on.

The song changed and I stepped away from Itachi. I turned around and looked at him. I didn't even bother hiding the lust I felt towards him and in his eyes I could see he felt the same about me.

"Ready to go?" I asked him. He nodded and we made our way through the dance floor until we came to the exit of the club. We walked outside and I shivered from the sudden change in temperature.

I glanced over at Itachi and I wanted him so bad. I wanted to feel his mouth against mine and his body molded to mine. The next alleyway I saw I pushed him into it and pressed my lips against his. He quickly flipped us around so my back was against the wall.

He pressed against me and ran his tongue across the seam of my lips. I opened my mouth and his tongue swept in and met my own.

He lifted me up so he didn't have to bend down so much. I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him harder. I was braced against the wall and the rough brick scratched my back. I hardly registered this though because I was too caught up in all that Itachi was.

I pulled the hair tie out of his hair and ran my hands through his newly freed hair. He groaned when I scratched my nails across his scalp.

He pulled away for a moment and then I felt the familiar pull of a teleportation jutsu. A moment later I was dropped on my bed rather unceremoniously.

Itachi smirked at me and pulled his shirt over his head. I admired his exposed abs. I was distracted by his hand moving down to his jeans. He slowly unbuttoned his fly. Then just as slowly he unzipped them. He pushed them down over his lean hips and stepped out of them. He was wearing a pair of black boxer briefs that didn't hide anything and let's just say that I didn't know if he would fit or not. The dancing had affected him as much as me.

I was practically drooling by now. I just got a striptease from Itachi Uchiha of all people. God, he was so sexy.

He pulled me up. "Your turn."

I ran a hand down his chest to feel his lovely abs and he smirked and then sat down on my bed.

I took a step away from him and started with my jeans. I did the same thing he did except I had to push my jeans down my legs because they were so tight. I suddenly regretted not wearing a bra tonight. My breasts were small enough that I could go without one most of the time. Plus, this one already had a little padding in it.

I bit my lip and lifted the camisole up slowly. I pulled up over my head in one motion and sneaked a peek at Itachi.

His eyes were fixed on my face and I felt my heart melt.

He stood up and took a step forward. We were so close our chests were brushing and I could feel his erection against my stomach.

"You're so beautiful." He breathed, looking deeply into my eyes. He slowly leaned down and kissed me sweetly. My eyes slid shut and I wrapped my arms around his neck and let myself just enjoy the moment.

He picked me up and gently set me on the bed. He pulled back and looked at my face. "Are you sure about this, Sakura?"

I nodded. "I've wanted this for a long time now."

He smiled then and our lips met again.

I woke up the next morning really warm. A finger was slowly running up and down my back lazily.

I looked up and Itachi was watching me with a smile on his face. I smiled back at him and kissed his chest.

Memories from last night filtered through my brain and I felt my face heat up. I remembered how good he made me feel and how I would do anything to feel that again. Itachi was a bona fide sex god. The smirk on his face proved it.

"What time is it?" I asked him.

"Around 10. I decided not to wake you since you looked so peaceful while you were sleeping." He said.

"What time did you wake up?" I asked him.

"About 8." He replied.

"You've been watching me sleep for 2 hours. Gee, Itachi, that's not creepy at all." I said.

Itachi chuckled. "I didn't think so either."

I rolled my eyes.

Suddenly a thought crossed my mind and I blurted it out without thinking. "Is this just a one night stand?" I buried my face in his chest. "You don't have to answer that." I said.

He rubbed a hand over my hair and said "Sakura. Look at me." I couldn't ignore him when he was asking me in such a voice. I did as he asked and our eyes met.

"I'm still here aren't I? And have you ever known me to have a one night stand with anyone?" he asked.

"Huh, I guess you're right." I said after a moment of thought.

He started stroking my back again. It felt really nice.

"Don't forget we have training with the rest of the team at noon." He mentioned casually. I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. 10:30.

I got out of bed, completely unashamed of my nakedness. He'd seen everything last night anyway.

"I'm going to get in the shower." I told him.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked flirtatiously.

I glanced back at him to see him watching my ass. His eyes flicked up to mine and I smirked at him. "Sure."

He leapt out of bed and followed me into my bathroom.


	4. Chapter 4

Two months after Itachi and I first made love, I was training with Sasuke and Naruto. Well actually we were resting after a three way fight, taijustu only.

"What's going on between you and my brother?" Sasuke asked me suddenly.

I sat up and avoided looking him in the eye. I knew he would ask me about it eventually but I hadn't exactly been looking forward to this conversation.

"Well?" Sasuke asked me when I didn't reply.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"How do you not know?" he asked exasperatedly.

"We haven't really talked about it. Does it matter?" I asked him.

"Of course it matters! I don't want you to get hurt." He replied.

"Itachi won't hurt me." I said.

Sasuke flopped on his back and sighed. Naruto said quietly "I think I'm in love."

"What?" I said. I think I was about to go into shock.

"I'm in love." He said softly, watching the clouds drift by.

"With who, Naruto?!" I asked. I tried to think of any girls I'd seen him with lately but I couldn't recall anyone.

"You know… I'm actually not sure. We were paired on an Anbu mission and I never got the chance to find out who she actually was." He sighed wistfully.

I almost did a face palm. Of _course _he never figured out her name. "Well… what was she like?" I asked.

Naruto smiled dreamily and said "She was so harsh. She would order me around with no mercy. And the way her Anbu outfit fit on her body was sinful. What I would give to spend a night with her…" He sighed again and I rolled my eyes.

"Naruto, you're hopeless." I laughed a little at him.

"Let's go eat! I'm starving!" he said, jumping up.

"Give me a hand." I requested holding my hand up to him. He took it and hoisted me to my feet.

We all walked to Ichiraku's together. Suddenly a bird appeared overhead and landed on my shoulder. Attached to its ankle was a note. I pulled the note off and read it. Then I burned the note with a small fire jutsu.

"I have to go to the Hokage's office. I'll catch up with you guys later." I told them.

"See you, Sakura!" Naruto called after me as I ran away.

I arrived in Lady Tsunade's office and found that Itachi was there as well.

"Ah Sakura. Glad you could show up. We recently got a mission request for two elite hunter-nins to hunt down and kill a man. Oshigaki Homura. Since all our hunter-nins are unavailable I have decided to send you two." She informed us.

"Here are your mission scrolls. Leave A.S.A.P." she said.

"Yes, Hokage." We bowed and accepted the scrolls.

We left the office together and started walking in the direction towards my apartment.

"We'll discuss our mission on the way. Wear the Anbu uniform that shows no affiliation to Konoha just in case." Itachi said.

"Ok." We split up and went our separate ways.

When I reached my apartment it only took me about fifteen minutes to read the mission scroll, pack my bag and unplug all my appliances so my electricity bill wouldn't run up.

Apparently this Oshigaki Homura was wanted in several countries. He was involved in just about every illegal thing there was: drugs, theft, trafficking young women. No one really knew what he looked like or anything at all besides his name. Our mission was we were supposed to figure out who he was and kill him. It was an unranked mission. It was comforting to know that I was going on this mission with Itachi.

Itachi was waiting outside my apartment complex for me. We took off together and quickly left the village.

My breath came in short gasps. My blood flowed freely over my hand where it was clamped to my side on the stab wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. A useless attempt really, but I needed to save my energy and chakra to get Itachi and I out of this mess.

I looked over at Itachi who looked to be in about as bad shape as me. "How much chakra do you have left?" I managed to get out.

"Enough for one more big jutsu." He replied.

"Me too." I replied.

"Save your chakra so you can heal us later." He said.

"Yes, sir." I replied.

"Ok, here's the plan…"

"Go, Sakura! Run!" he yelled at me.

I felt completely torn. I was his subordinate and he was giving me a direct order but how was I supposed to leave the love of my life behind to die?

"Sakura, please, go." Itachi begged me. My heart broke at the sight of him.

"I'll find you again!" I promised, and then turned and ran for my life. I don't know where I ran but I ran in the opposite direction that my heart was telling me to go. It was tearing me apart.

I would probably never see him again. Tears blurred my vision and I finally stopped. I collapsed in the mud. It was raining and I wondered when it had started. How long had I been running for?

I crawled to a small cave and collapsed. I had no food, no water, no money and no chakra. I was utterly defenseless.

I forced myself to sleep so I could regain some energy. Then I would travel back to the fight scene to check for Itachi.

All night, I had nightmares of Itachi's unseeing Sharingan eyes and him begging me to run.

The next morning I went to the scene but Itachi's body was gone. I sent out a chakra trace for him but he was nowhere within three miles. Either he was dead or the enemy had taken him. I had to believe he was still alive.

I turned and ran for Konoha.

"I'm leaving the village." I said to Lady Tsunade 3 days after I had reached the village and 5 days after the battle.

"You can't leave, Haruno. I know you're upset about Itachi but we'll send a search party out for him." Lady Tsunade objected.

"I'm leaving, with or without your permission." I said dully. I hadn't had a full night's rest in a while and it was showing.

"What about your duties to the hospital, to this village, to me?" she asked.

"They'll all have to do without me. I'm sorry but this is something I have to do. I promised him I'd find him." I said.

My Hokage sighed and rubbed at her forehead. "You may leave this village. As of today you are no longer a Konoha leaf nin and are stripped of all titles, ninja or otherwise. Leave immediately."

I felt a queer sadness at her words. Hopefully, when I returned with Itachi they would reinstate me to my former positions.

"Yes, Hokage." I said.

"But, Sakura. Please send word every once in a while to let us know you're ok." She said.

"Yes, my lady." I replied, nodding.

"Good bye, Sakura." She said softly.

I left her office and didn't look back.

It had been one year, seven months and thirteen days since that fateful mission. The numbers were the one thing that kept me centered now. That and saving Itachi.

I eyed the prisoner of war camp that I was currently staking out. It was on the outskirts of Mist. I already had a plan in mind about how I was going to infiltrate it.

I pulled the black mask down over my face and jumped out of my tree and sprinted over to the gate that enclosed the camp. I quickly scaled it, avoiding the barbed wire, and then jumped down to the other side.

I crept between buildings, and lurked in the shadows. No one saw me and soon I was at the main building.

I snuck inside and looked around. It was late at night and the front door guard was asleep. I snuck past him and went down a hallway. Two out of the four doors in the hallway were shut and I decided to try those later. The third door led to a bathroom. The fourth door led to an office. A rather chubby man was asleep at the desk. I went behind him and drew out a kunai.

I pulled him up and wrapped my arm around his neck with the point of my kunai digging into his neck.

"Don't make a sound or I'll kill you." I hissed. He whimpered and I dug the kunai into his neck so that it drew blood.

"Y-you're the Shadow, aren't you?" he whispered.

"Don't insult me with that name." I said.

He made a little noise of terror.

"Now, you'll tell me what I want to know and maybe I won't kill you." I said viciously. "Where are your high profile prisoners held?"

"In the b-basement." He started to cry and I tried to push the disgust away.

"Get up. If you try anything I'll kill you." I threatened. I pulled my arm away and stepped back as he got up.

"_Move_." I hissed. He did as he was told and walked out of the room. He led me to one of the closed doors and opened it. Stairs led downwards into blackness.

"We need a flashlight." He whispered.

"No, we don't. Go." I gave him a little push towards the stairs. He stumbled and almost tripped down them and I rolled my eyes. What a lard.

I followed him into the blackness and closed the door behind us. My eyes quickly adjusted and I sent chakra into them to help aid my night vision.

When we reached the bottom I punched the man in the head and he immediately fell unconscious.

I crept down the hallway. I could tell there were cells on either side. At the first one I whispered "What is your name?"

The breathing in the cell stopped and then the prisoner said "Omaru."

"I'll free you. Give me a few moments." I said quietly.

I did this with all the cells. None of the names were familiar to me.

I quickly unlocked all of the cells with the keys from the man's key ring.

"Are any of you hurt? Come here to me and tell me what your injuries are." I said. They lined up obediently and whispered their injuries. I quickly patched each and every one of them up. A few of them were crying.

"How can we ever repay you?" one of them asked.

"Do any of you know the whereabouts of Uchiha Itachi?" I asked after a moment's debate with myself.

"I- I do. He was in my last camp. Omiwaha. They say he's been there close to two years and that he's too dangerous to move. My first day there he gave his share of food because they were trying to starve me." The first man, Omaru, said.

I felt tears spring to my eyes. Of course he would give away his food while he was in a concentration camp. Typical Itachi.

"Come with me then. I'll get you all out of here. Omaru, I'll need more information from you later." I said. "Everyone join hands and I'll lead you out of here."

They did as I asked and I told them instructions like "avoid this man," "here's a step," etc, etc.

At the top of the steps I peeked out into the hallway. It was vacant. "Wait here for a few minutes. I'm going to kill the guards, then I'll be back for you and you can help me free the other prisoners." I said.

"You promise you'll be back?" one of them asked.

"I swear it on my life." I replied.

This appeased them and I crept into the hallway. It was practically a walk in the park killing all the guards. There was maybe about ten total and they couldn't have been higher than chunin level. It was almost too easy.

I ran back to the main base and flung open the basement door. "You're free."

I heard whoops and yells and some started crying even harder than before. Each freed man gave me a hug of thanks.

"Please free the other prisoners and then meet me back here with them so I can give you instructions." I said to them.

"Alright!" they said. Within half an hour they had assembled all the prisoners.

"Before you go, eat, but not too much because you have been starved and your stomachs could burst if you eat too much. Bring whatever food you can find. Stay with each other. About two miles east of here is a small town. Go to the inn and they will find you a place to stay. For those of you who want a more permanent residence travel to Konoha once you get healthier." I called out to them.

After I was finished with my speech they all thanked me and then trailed off towards what I suspected was the canteen.

I met with Omaru after he'd gotten something to eat and asked him to tell me more about Itachi.

"To comfort ourselves we would tell each other stories. He had some of the best. He talked about a city surrounded by miles of forest on every side. He talked about his little brother, Sasuke and his mother and father. He talked about missions he'd gone on when he was younger. But most of all he talked about his lover. He told me she was beautiful with long pink hair and dazzling green eyes and the creamiest skin he'd ever seen. He said his biggest regret was not telling her he loved her and that that was the only thing keeping him alive. His need to tell her." Omaru explained to me.

I found myself holding back sobs. I loved him too. All those times I wanted to tell him, but worried that he didn't reciprocate the feeling.

Omaru also explained the location of his camp.

"Thank you. You don't know what you've done for me." I said, grasping his hand.

"The feeling is mutual." He replied.

I nodded and then left. I had a prisoner to save.


	5. Chapter 5

This was the place. I could _feel _it. My heart fluttered at the sight of seeing Itachi again and I felt my lips curve into a smile. No one could keep from him now.

This time, I decided on a more direct approach. I walked right up to the gates of the prison and waited for a guard to come attend to me. The one who did was about my age and he gave me an appreciative look before he spoke. Granted, my outfit did hug every curve of my body. For this mission I'd decided to forego my mask and let my hair fall down my back in a curtain.

"How can I help you?" he asked warily. Even though I was pretty he wasn't about to let his guard down.

"I want in." I replied.

"No civilians." He said.

I smiled my ferocious smile and saw his face pale a little. "I'm not exactly a civilian."

"I can't let you inside." He said.

I pouted. "That's a shame." Then, before he had a chance to formulate a response, I channeled chakra to my feet and leapt over the fence and broke his neck. The whole thing had lasted less than a minute.

He dropped to the ground with a thud and I continued on. The nearby guards tried to rush me but I quickly killed them all just as easily.

I continued on, stopping in a barrack of prisoners every so often and telling them to run. Some did as I asked, but others ran to tell the other prisoners. Perfect, that makes my job easier.

I continued on and came to the main building. All these prisons were laid out about the same.

I killed the front guard and continued on down the hall. A man was in the office in the back. I sat down at the chair in front of his desk.

"Is Itachi Uchiha at this camp?" I asked pleasantly, after all my job here was almost finished. There was no use in beating around the bush. I might as well get straight to the point.

His hand started slowly moving back towards his body. He probably had a knife hidden somewhere in his desk. I pulled out a kunai and nailed his hand to the desk with it. He yelped and I saw tears spring to his eyes.

"Tell me, you bastard." I hissed.

"Down… stairs. You better hurry, his interrogation has already started." The man said. I pulled the kunai out of his hand which caused him to cry out and jammed it in his neck. He had lied to me and so he would pay for that with his life. Prisons never did their interrogations in the basements.

I left before he died and ran down the hallway. Itachi was in one of these rooms, it was just a matter of which one.

I kicked the first closed door I came to open and found it empty. The next room had 2 guards and another prisoner and I quickly flung kunai at the guards and hit them in the chest. They crumbled to the ground and I continued on.

The last door I used a more subtle approach. I opened the door quietly and snuck up behind one of the guards. I channeled a little chakra into my hand and then thrust it through his chest. The guard made a horrible gasping sound before I withdrew my hand, with his heart grasped in it, and he fell to the floor. I dropped the heart unceremoniously next to the body.

I glanced at the other guard who looked completely terrified.

"Don't hurt me. I had no choice but to hurt the prisoners." He whimpered.

I glared at him as I stalked closer. "There is _always _a choice." Then I took out a kunai and stabbed him in the chest. "You just made the wrong one." I whispered in his ear. The light faded out of his eyes and I pushed away from him.

Then, I looked at the person who I had gone to the ends of the earth for. His once beautiful black hair was matted together in places, presumably by blood and sweat. His head was bowed. His pale skin was marred by dozens of scars and my anger grew at the atrocity that these horrible men had done to him. They didn't deserve to die as easily as they had.

I took a step closer to him. "Itachi." I said softly. He moved his head a little and mumbled something.

"What? Baby, it's me, Sakura." I said coming even closer and kneeling in front of him so I could look at his face.

"Stop playing mind games. Sakura would never be so vicious. This is just a dream. It's too good to be true." He mumbled. I could barely hear him.

I cupped his face in my hands and lifted it up so he would look at me. "Itachi. It's truly me. I came to save you. I made you a promise and I kept it."

He lifted his eyes to my face and I felt my heart break a little at the sight of his eyes. They were dull and almost lifeless. I couldn't imagine what the men here had done to make him like this. I detected a small flicker in his eyes that reminded me of the fire that I used to see.

"It can't be you…" he whispered. He reached up to touch my face and I noticed he was shackled to his chair. I quickly broke the chains with my super strength.

He reached up and his fingers traced my face. "Sakura." He said.

I blinked through my tears and nodded. "Yes. It's me, Itachi."

"You came for me. I always knew you would. You kept your promise." He whispered. He was so weak from whatever they'd put him through.

"I did, Itachi. Now stop talking. I'm going to take you somewhere safe." I told him and picked him up.

He was so light. He'd probably lost over 50 pounds since I'd last seen him. He probably weighed less than me now.

I walked out of the office and into the sunlight. All around were prisoners and they watched me silently as I walked past. I stopped and said to one of them "There are other prisoners in the building, free them. There is a town about two miles west of here. They'll give you shelter."

Then I continued on. There was a quiet murmur through the crowd but I ignored it. I just needed to get Itachi to the safe house.

A boy of about thirteen ran up in front of me. I walked around him and kept going. The little boy followed me and said "We all want to thank you for freeing us. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"That's not necessary. Just get yourselves to safety and I'll be happy." I replied.

"Well… ok." The little boy said. I heard his feet pitter-patter away and then there was nothing.

It took me about two hours to get to the safe house. I had to walk the normal, civilian way because I didn't want to jostle Itachi around too much.

When we reached the safe house I noticed Itachi was shivering. I deposited him on the bed and pulled blankets over him and went to run him a steaming hot bath.

When the bath was ready I stripped Itachi and was dismayed to see just how skinny Itachi was. All the bones in his chest seemed to be trying to poke out of his skin.

When I placed him in the water he roused a little. "Sakura?" he murmured.

"Yes, it's me." I said. I poured some liquid soap onto a soft wash cloth and started gently rubbing him down. He was really grimy and I carefully washed every part of his body, making sure I got all the muck off of him.

It wasn't sexual in any way. I was too worried about Itachi to pay much attention to anything else and Itachi kept slipping in and out of sleep.

When I had finally finished washing him I woke him up. "Come on, Itachi. Time to get out." He nodded weakly and gripped the edge of the tub and tried to hoist himself up. His arms started to shake and I grabbed one of them and pulled him up. I held his arm while he unsteadily got out of the tub. Then I wrapped him in a big fluffy towel that I had put in the drying machine when I'd been running the water. He sighed at its warmth.

I brought him back to the bed and he laid down. "I'm going to go make some broth for you. Go back to sleep and I'll wake you when I'm done." I told him.

He nodded and his eyes slid slowly shut.

He was so different from my Itachi. This Itachi was helpless and vulnerable and couldn't even get out of the tub by himself. A new wave of rage filled me at the people who had made Itachi like this in the first place. Looking at Itachi now, I made a vow to kill the man who had caused all of this. I was stronger now than before and once Itachi got better he could help me.

I stomped to the kitchen and made some broth to feed to Itachi. By the time I had made it I had calmed down enough to face Itachi again. I brought it to him and woke him up. He sat up in bed and I handed him the spoon and set the bowl in his lap.

"How long has it been?" he asked me after he'd taken a few bites.

"Almost two years." I replied.

Itachi sighed, but didn't say anything.

"I really missed you, Itachi. These past two years I've never given up trying to find you." I told him.

"I knew you would find me." He replied, looking up and meeting my eyes.

My breath caught in my throat at the look in his eyes. There was still that inner spark in him that drew me to him. He put the broth on the bedside table and pulled me to him.

We paused a hairsbreadth away from each other. "I've dreamed about this for two long years…" he whispered.

"Itachi… I… I love you." I whispered.

His eyes closed and a few seconds went by and he didn't say anything. "Itachi? Say something." I said. Had Omaru been wrong? Maybe Itachi had been talking about someone else.

Then, his eyes opened and he smiled a breathtaking smile. "I love you too. So much. You're the only thing that's kept me going."

His hand came up and wiped away a tear. I didn't even realize I had started crying. "Shh, shh. It's ok. I'm here now."

"Sometimes, I would think about what would happen if you were dead. If I was too late to save you." I sobbed into his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around me.

"That'll never happen." He promised. "Ok. Do you understand?" He pulled away and looked in my eyes, searching them to make sure I understood.

I nodded and then he brought his mouth to mine. The feel of his lips against mine, something I had dreamed about almost every night for two years, was heaven. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He pushed me down onto the bed and stroked my face softly. My heart fluttered at his familiar – yet unfamiliar – touch.

"Itachi." I breathed when he pulled away. He laid his head on my chest and listened to my heart beat. I brought my hand up to his head and gently stroked his hair, something I knew that calmed him.

His breathing evened out and he fell asleep like that. I was almost as exhausted as he was and slowly I let myself fall to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

"Sakura, wake up. You're having a bad dream. Sh… it's ok." A voice said as arms encircled me.

"Itachi?" I mumbled.

"Yes. I'm here." He said and pulled me more securely against his chest.

I sighed and rested my head in the crook of his neck. "These nightmares are exhausting." I complained.

"I know. Do you remember what happened in this one?" he asked.

I shook my head. I never remembered. I lost all the fragments of the dream when I woke up, something that drove me crazy every time I had one of these dreams.

"It's ok. I'm sure you're just anxious about the baby." Itachi said, dragging his hand down my form to rub my stomach.

"Maybe…" I said.

I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. Itachi propped himself up on his elbow and watched me, his hand rubbing my round belly soothingly.

I was so grateful that Itachi was here with me. Taking care of a child by myself would have been one of the toughest thing I would've ever done. Luckily, Itachi had been next to me every step of the way.

I turned my head and studied him, his beautiful face. When I had first become pregnant, I had been so scared that he would leave me. I should've realized that he would always be there for me. He was in love with me as I was with him.

We had barely spent time apart since we had gotten back to the village after five years away. Itachi was just as strong now as he had been when he'd left the village with me on that last fateful mission.

Itachi's eyes met mine and his lips quirked up in a small smile. "What are you thinking about?" he asked me.

I smiled back at him. "How much I love you."

Itachi's smile got bigger as he leaned in to kiss me. I could feel his smile against my mouth. My heart swelled from the emotions I was feeling right now. I was the happiest now than I had ever been in my life.

I pulled away and said "You know we still haven't decided on a name for our baby."

Itachi frowned. "Hm, you're right. What do you want to name him or her?"

My early confidence was gone as I thought about the names I had been thinking about recently. I didn't know how he would feel about them.

Getting my courage up, I murmured "Well, if it's a girl I was thinking… Mikoto. And if it's a boy… Sasuke."

Itachi tensed. Sasuke had… died while we'd been gone. He had been on a mission with Naruto and sacrificed himself so Naruto would make it home safely. I had cried for days. Naruto had lost some of his happiness and Mikoto was still devastated about it, even though it had happened over two years ago.

Itachi had also been quite upset. He hardly showed it though and only held me numbly in his arms while I cried. He had lost his beloved brother, though, and one night I'd gotten angry about why he hadn't cried at all. He calmly told me that crying wouldn't bring him back. But underneath it all I could finally see the hurt that he had been hiding and so I took him into my arms and told him he could cry. He finally let go and cried over his lost, little brother. The whole time I'd held him and rocked him back and forth.

Itachi was one of the strongest people I knew but even strong people need a break. That is still the only time I'd ever seen him cry.

Itachi still hadn't said anything and I was starting to get worried. "Itachi? Say something."

"I think that is a great idea." He finally managed to say.

"Really?" I asked, searching his eyes for any indication he thought otherwise.

"Yes. They're perfect names. My mom will love you forever for naming our child after her… and I think Sasuke would have been proud to have our child take on his name."

I felt my eyes tear up. I didn't even know why I was crying. Stupid hormones.

"It's ok, Sakura." He said and rained kisses all over my face.

Soon, I was in an entirely different mood and let him know by kissing him deeply. Itachi started moving with me and we soon fell into the familiar rhythm that I knew so well.

"Sasuke, don't run too far ahead!" I yelled after him.

Itachi and I walked hand in hand down the street towards the festival.

I could see Sasuke roll his eyes at me when he turned back to us and said "I'm going to catch up with my friends. I'll see you guys later tonight."

I sighed. "Fine, but meet us at the dango stall at 12:15."

"Sure thing, Mom." Sasuke shouted over his shoulder as he streaked away from us.

Itachi chuckled lowly. "Sasuke was the same way growing up. I never knew where he got the energy from."

"Kids are crazy." I replied.

Itachi nodded as he looked around, taking in everything the festival had to offer.

I watched him adoringly. He had aged well and Sasuke had grown up into a handsome young man who was the spitting image of his namesake.

I thought of how fast time seemed to be rushing by me now. Sasuke was 16 and I didn't even want to think of my age right now.

Itachi led me up to the Hokage monument where Naruto and Hinata were waiting for us. "Hey guys." I said as we reached them.

We all sat on a large picnic blanket and chatted about nothing and every thing as we waited for midnight to approach, and with midnight, the fireworks.

Finally, midnight was upon us and we all watched as beautiful displays exploded above us.

As lights burst above me, I thought of every decision I had ever made. If I could go back and change something about the past, would I?

This question plagued me for the rest of the night. When we met up with Sasuke at the dango stand, I was still deep in thought.

Itachi noticed and asked me about it.

"If you could go back and change anything, would you?" I asked him.

He thought about it for a long time. We were almost home when he finally replied. "I don't think I would. All my choices led me here to you and Sasuke and I wouldn't give that up for anything. You two are my all and I would do anything for you. So, no I wouldn't."

I found I agreed with him. My decisions had led me to the love of my life and a beautiful son who I adored. There was nothing I would change about my past. If I died tomorrow I would be content with the things I had done in my life.

And I guess that's all we can ask for in life. To be content with the choices we've made.

We reached our house and I followed Sasuke inside and I realized just how lucky I had been to have had the choices available to me that brought me here. Some of them hadn't been easy but in the end they'd been worth it. Everything had been worth it.

** Sorry for the short ending, but yes, this is the end. I hope you liked reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for taking the time to read. **


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